Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer (Gen 2) AI Glasses

Smart glasses have spent years trying to persuade us that the main thing missing from ordinary eyewear was a small computer announcing itself at eye level. Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer (Gen 2) takes the less embarrassing route: begin with a frame people already recognize, then hide the contemporary ambitions inside it. The selected RW4012 601S1Z version is matte black with Clear/Grey Transitions® lenses, a high-bridge fit and 50-22 sizing. Its feature list is not subtle: touch and voice controls, Meta AI, open-ear audio, a 12 MP camera and 3K Ultra HD video recording. A pair of glasses has apparently acquired the job description of several pocket objects, which is either wonderfully tidy or a sign that pockets were losing the argument. We think this is the smart-glasses pick that makes the strongest case for the category because the Wayfarer shape gives all that circuitry a civilized cover story. The appeal is not novelty for novelty’s sake; it is the prospect of camera, audio and assistant functions in something that still looks at home beside a coffee, a commuter bag or a slightly overworked tote. There is, naturally, a catch beneath the sleek frame: this is a very specific fit and lens configuration, not a universal technological blessing bestowed upon all noses. Buy it for the combination of familiar eyewear and unusually dense functionality, not because the phrase “AI glasses” has made you temporarily reckless.